Beef tagine with squash, sticky prunes and chickpeas, on top of couscous

Beef tagine

Slow-cooked with squash, sticky prunes & chickpeas

Beef tagine with squash, sticky prunes and chickpeas, on top of couscous

3 hrs 40 mins plus marinating time

Super easy

serves 4

About the recipe

Spicy, fragrant and sweet, this is a gorgeous beef tagine.


nutrition per serving

548

Calories


19.6g

Fat


5.2g

Saturates


23.6g

Sugars


1.1g

Salt


46.4g

Protein


48.7g

Carbs


11g

Fibre


of an adult’s reference intake


Recipe From

Jamie Does...

Jamie Does...

By Jamie Oliver

Ingredients

600g stewing beef

1 onion

½ a bunch of fresh coriander

olive oil

1 x 400g tin of chickpeas

1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes

800ml organic vegetable stock

800g butternut squash

100g prunes

2 tablespoons flaked almonds

SPICE RUB

1 level tablespoon ras el hanout spice mix (see tip)

1 level tablespoon ground cumin

1 level tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 level tablespoon ground ginger

1 level tablespoon sweet paprika

Top Tip

Ras el hanout (Arabic for "top of the shop") is a blend of the best spices a vendor has in their shop. The mixture varies depending on who is selling it, but can be a combination of anywhere from 10 to 100 spices. It usually includes nutmeg, cinnamon, mace, aniseed, turmeric, cayenne, peppercorns, dried galangal, ginger, cloves, cardamom, chilli, allspice and orris root.

Method

  1. Mix all the spice rub ingredients together in a small bowl with a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
  2. Put the beef into a large bowl, massage it with the spice rub, then cover with clingfilm and place in the fridge for a couple of hours, preferably overnight.
  3. When you’re ready to cook, peel and finely chop the onion, and pick the coriander leaves, finely chopping the stalks.
  4. Heat a generous lug of oil in a tagine or casserole pan over a medium heat, add the meat and fry for 5 minutes to seal. Add the onion and coriander stalks and fry for a further 5 minutes.
  5. Drain and tip in the chickpeas, followed by the tomatoes, breaking them up with a spoon, then pour in 400ml of stock and stir well. Bring to the boil, then cover and reduce to a low heat for 1½ hours.
  6. Meanwhile, deseed and chop the squash into 5cm chunks, then destone and roughly tear the prunes. Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan until lightly golden, then tip into a bowl.
  7. When the time's up, add the squash, prunes and remaining stock. Give everything a gentle stir, then pop the lid back on and continue cooking for another 1½ hours. Keep an eye on it, adding splashes of water, if needed.
  8. At this stage, remove the lid and check the consistency. If it seems a bit too runny, simmer for 5 to 10 minutes, more with the lid off – the beef should be really tender and flaking apart now, so have a taste and season to taste.
  9. Scatter the coriander leaves over the tagine along with the toasted almonds. Serve with a big bowl of lightly seasoned couscous and dive in.

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